Workshop on the Implementation of the Farming System Survey

The project has adopted a farming system approach to assess the scope for productivity increase in agricultural production in the Nile countries. National consultants have been recruited in all project countries to implement a farming system survey. A regional workshop is scheduled from 22-24 October in Entebbe, Uganda, to establish a common understanding of the farming system approach, and to align procedures for conducting the survey.

The survey aims to contribute to the information base of the project by identifying linkages between the agriculturalists’ production objectives, and the environment in which the production systems is conducted. The environment include social, economic, and bio-physical (plant, animal, land, water, climatic) factors.

The survey evaluates constraints encountered by producers, feasibility of mitigating the constraints and the expected productivity to be gained as a result of alleviating the constraints. It further evaluates the extent to which the farmers’ livelihood objectives are currently satisfied, or will be in the future.

The agriculture sub-sectors to be addressed comprise of: crop, livestock, forestry, rangeland, aquaculture, and fisheries. The prevalent sub-sectors may differ among the riparian countries. Similarly farm systems will be segregated with regards to mode of ownership (private, public), and production objectives (subsistence or commercial).

The team leaders of the national survey teams have been invited to attend the workshop.

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